Ai sat slumped on the floor, surrounded by a chaotic mess of scattered cards and merchandise. She no longer cared about the clutter. Her entire treasure trove—every single rare card she owned—had been plundered by that silver-haired demon.
Covering her face with both hands, Ai sobbed bitterly. Suddenly, a spark of fury ignited in her eyes. If she remembered correctly, Masuzu had mentioned that the national Yu-Gi-Oh tournament was about to begin. And Masuzu was the reigning champion for three years running.
(If I send Ryunosuke to snatch her title away, wouldn't that be the ultimate humiliation? There might even be a chance to win my cards back!)
Without a moment's delay, Ai summoned Ryunosuke back to her side.
Ryunosuke, receiving her urgent message, scrambled to change his clothes. After tucking in the soundly sleeping Megumi, he sprinted toward Ai's dormitory.
He arrived at the room in record time. Just as Ai was about to speak, she noticed a faint red mark on Ryunosuke's neck. Her brow twitched.
"Where exactly have you been?"
Ryunosuke panicked instantly, his voice stammering. "That... I wasn't doing anything! Haha." He reflexively adjusted his collar to hide the mark.
Ai didn't press the issue. She knew exactly who had been "sneaking a snack." Besides, she had restricted that girl for far too long; letting her have a taste once in a while wasn't the worst thing. She put her hands on her hips and cut straight to the chase. Pointing a finger at Ryunosuke, she commanded:
"Go and enter the Yu-Gi-Oh tournament!"
"I refuse!" Ryunosuke answered without a second thought.
Ai's eyes immediately welled up with tears. "Why?"
Ryunosuke sighed and explained gently. "The tournament is held off-campus, right? If I go to compete, it means I have to drop out of school. Do you really think that's feasible?"
Ai immediately threw herself onto the floor, rolling around like a spoiled child. "I don't care! You absolutely have to enter that tournament! You have a way, don't you? I know you do!"
She lunged into his arms with a pleading tone. Finally, Ryunosuke had no choice but to give in. He pressed a soft kiss to Ai's forehead.
"Leave it to me. I'll join the tournament."
Ai didn't say a word, but the corners of her mouth curled into a sweet, triumphant curve. Truly, her man pampered her the most. She then playfully tugged Ryunosuke toward her bedroom, intending to give him a "reward" for his loyalty.
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A while later, Ryunosuke tucked Ai back into bed and stepped out of her dorm. He had accepted Ai's mandate to enter the tournament next month. As for the logistics of leaving school, he already had a blueprint.
First, he would transfer his 240 million private points to Ai for safekeeping. Then, he would formally apply to drop out. Once the tournament was over, he would have Ai spend 20 million points to "buy" him back into the school. It was that simple.
Perhaps feeling a bit guilty, Ai provided Ryunosuke with extra compensation—in more ways than one. On top of the physical rewards, the tournament's grand prize was a staggering 100 million Yen. It was the perfect amount to clear his debts. Furthermore, Ai gave him an additional 40 million Yen as "damages" for having to sacrifice his student status for her sake.
Though, in truth, since Ai herself already belonged to Ryunosuke, they didn't really need to keep such detailed tallies between them.
Truthfully, Ryunosuke's odds of winning weren't great. Almost all of Ai's high-tier cards had been looted by Masuzu. The only sets left in his possession were Fudo Yusei's and Muto Yugi's decks. He would also bring two Egyptian God cards and a HERO deck.
The reason the HERO deck wasn't stolen was likely because it was considered too finicky and prone to "bricking" (getting stuck with unplayable hands). Ryunosuke's chances were slim indeed, but to make his first wife happy, he was willing to take the gamble.
Ryunosuke first sought out Koenji Rokusuke. He used one of his "favors" to request protection so that he wouldn't be kidnapped or harmed while outside the school's walls. Considering the number of people he had offended—including Ayanokouji's father—he had to be vigilant.
Koenji looked at him with an unreadable gaze. "My sweet Boy! You should think this through. You only have two chances to use me; do you really want to waste one on something like this?"
Ryunosuke nodded without hesitation. Koenji spoke with a hint of disappointment, "I thought you were the same brand of genius as I am. What a pity, Boy. But I shall grant your request. After all, I, Koenji Rokusuke, always keep my word."
Koenji flicked his blonde hair narcissistically.
Ryunosuke ignored the theatrics. With this, his safety outside was guaranteed. At the very least, ordinary thugs wouldn't dare touch him, nor would Ayanokouji's father. The only ones who might be bold enough were the top two of the Big Four Zaibatsu. But that was unlikely; why would the Shinomiya or Shijo families bother with him? They had no quarrel with him.
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Before long, news of Ryunosuke's withdrawal spread like wildfire through the school.
In Class 1-A, Amasawa Ichika stared at her phone in disbelief.
"That man... expelled?" she murmured softly. Whatever she was thinking, she snapped her book shut, ignored the ongoing lesson, and swung her bag over her shoulder, heading straight for Ryunosuke's dorm.
In Class 2-D, Shiina Hiyori's beautiful brow knit together. She closed her book, cut class, and began walking toward Ryunosuke's dorm as well.
Ibuki Mio did the same. She wanted to know what had happened. Just yesterday, she had thanked her "junior disciple" for finding her such a good job; why was he leaving school today? Did this have something to do with her? Had Ryunosuke abused his authority to help her and gotten caught?
Consumed by guilt, Ibuki intended to find him. Initially, when Hiyori left, Ryuen wasn't surprised since they were a couple. But when Ibuki also stood up, Ryuen was genuinely shocked and immediately blocked her path.
"And where do you think you're going?"
Ibuki stopped and glared at Ryuen with annoyance. "I'm going to check on my junior disciple. Is that a crime?"
Ryuen ruffled his hair in frustration. "Are you stupid? The one who just chased after him is his girlfriend. If you go now, don't you think that's a bit inappropriate?"
At Ryuen's reminder, Ibuki finally sat back down grudgingly, crossing her arms with a pout. Ryuen looked at her with a knowing, playful expression.
"You... don't tell me you actually like him?"
Ibuki's face turned a violent shade of crimson. Ryuen chuckled. "Tch, that reaction... don't tell me it's true?"